Traveling Waves of Dominance in Motion-Induced Blindness

In the present study, it was examined whether the spatiotemporal dynamics of
transitions towards target dominance in motion-induced blindness (MIB) were wave-like,
similar to those in binocular rivalry. The spatiotemporal dynamics of transitions towards
dominance in MIB were further compared with those in binocular rivalry to reveal a
potential neural locus of MIB. Across a series of experiments, the relationship between
target length, stimulus structure, presentation location and the latency for circular arc
segment-shaped targets to reappear was examined, respectively. It was found that target
reappearance durations increase with target length, as if they reappear in a gradual, wavelike
fashion. Target reappearance durations were decreased for collinear compared to
radial targets, but they were not influenced by the location of target presentation. The
results suggest MIB target reappearances are associated with traveling waves of
dominance, and early visual cortex is a likely neural substrate in which these wave-like
transitions occur.